WT/MIN(22)/ST/103  
12 June 2022 
(22-4543) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Twelfth Session  
Geneva, 12 -15 June 2022  Original: English  
 
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR PAN SORASAK  
MINISTER OF COMMERCE  
CAMBODIA  
First and foremost, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the Government of Kazakhstan, 
the city of Geneva and the World Trade Organization for organizing this 12th WTO Ministerial 
Conference. It has been almost 5 years since the last Ministerial Conference, we can finally meet in 
person at this important and much anticipated event to discuss global trade issues of broad and 
critical significance and impact.  
 
These  past 5 years, the world has gone through many challenges of global proportion. One major 
challenge is the COVID -19 pandemic which affected greatly the lives and livelihood of millions of 
people all over the world. Cambodia is no different to the other par ts of the world. The COVID -19 
pandemic has brought Cambodia’s economic development to a sudden halt. After a decade of 
excellent economic growth of 7% on average, Cambodia’s economy unprecedentedly plummeted to 
negative 3.1% in 2020, while at the same time , the poverty rate also increased to 17.8% due to 
loss of jobs. However, with a series of timely intervention and support by the Royal Government of 
Cambodia to affected sectors and vulnerable population, and with the strategic vision of using 
vaccination as the tool to combat the pandemic, Cambodia has been able to effectively manage the 
situation and put our people’s lives back in order. This has allowed our country to fully resume 
socio-economic activities since February of this year. With these positive  progress, Cambodia’s 
economy is projected to rebound to around 5.6% in 2022 and as high as 6.5% in 2023.  
 
Excellency Chair, despite all this progress achieved by Cambodia, I would like to point out that our 
share in global export of goods and services rem ained a very small fraction of the global share. As 
a group, the Least -Developed Countries’ share of world export of goods and services remained below 
1%. Therefore, it is important that the WTO Members continue to provide preferential treatments in 
favor of LDCs including full implementation duty free -quota free market access, operationalization 
of LDC services waivers and further simplification of preferential rules of origin to ensure LDCs' full 
utilization of preferential market access. WTO Members shou ld also consider favorably in extending 
further supports to Graduated LDCs to ensure continued and sustainable development.  
 
Excellency Chair, for many years now the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core is at 
a crossroad. Failure to achiev e substantial results from past Ministerial Conferences have put many 
question marks on the effectiveness and relevance of the WTO. Cambodia, as an LDC, has always 
supported and placed great value in the multilateral trading system. We want this MC12 to ha ve a 
different result, that is, to make this a successful Ministerial with significant and meaningful 
outcomes.  
 
Furthermore, we must use this MC12 to strengthen multilateralism at the WTO and use this 
opportunity for consensus building to deliver results  that address issues faced by all concerned, for 
the benefits of everyone and with due consideration to the broader challenges faced by the LDCs. 
This is important because we are at a time where unilateralism and fragmentation has begun to rise 
up and the smaller countries are being isolated, thereby threatening the core value of rule -based, 
solidarity and the central objective of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to “Leave No 
One Behind”. But to do this, we need to collectively listen to each oth er’s concerns, keep an open 
mind and be pragmatic, exercise flexibility and constraint and try to resolve issues through 
constructive engagement. We must avoid trying to squeeze every ounce of juice from one another 
and the unconstructive take it or leave it mentality.  WT/MIN( 22)/ST/ 103 
 
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  Excellency Chair, I would like to reemphasize that Cambodia would like to see substantive outcomes 
from this MC12 and we will work constructively with all Members throughout this MC12 to achieve 
that.  
 
On the negotiation issues, outcome on F isheries Subsidies Agreement would be a great achievement 
for the WTO as it has been over 20 years since the WTO was tasked by the United Nations to fulfill 
its Sustainable Development Goal 14.6. Reaching conclusion of this agreement can only reinforce 
the notion that the WTO is still relevance and can still deliver multilateral outcome. On a similar 
note, the WTO must deliver a credible and meaningful response to the pandemic which include the 
TRIPS waiver taking into account current and future pandemics.  
 
We also would like to see substantial outcomes achieved in the areas of agricultural reform in 
different pillars or future work programs are put in place to further discuss on outstanding issues 
after this MC12. Cambodia will join with others to address o ther issues also including food security 
and WTO reform.  
 
I would like to conclude that Cambodia will always remain vested in the rule -based multilateral 
trading system. We must ensure that the WTO remained relevant through necessary reforms and 
the WTO re mained a consensus -driven, transparent and inclusive forum to allow smaller countries 
such as the LDCs to be part of the decision -making process and to have their voices and perspectives 
heard and considered. At this MC12, Cambodia is fully committed to wo rk with all Members to 
achieve substantial outcomes.  
 
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